1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is related to automated telephone attendant systems and telecommunications technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the years automated telephone answering machines, such as automated attendants, (also called auto attendant (AA) systems, virtual receptionist systems, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, AA/IVR systems, and other names) have evolved from relatively simple devices to rater complex computerized devices. Modern automated telephone attendants can, for example, automatically answer telephone calls from a user, play a standard message, and then await a response from the incoming caller. This response will often come in the form of user telephone key presses, which often generate a standardized set of tones called Dual-tone multi-frequency tones (DTMF), or which may come in the form of more sophisticated voice recognition systems that recognizes incoming caller voice input, and can connect the incoming caller appropriately. These auto attendant systems can often have a complex menu structure, in which an incoming caller from the outside may, for example, go down a complex tree like sequence of AA/IVR recorded voice prompts and incoming caller replies in order to connect the incoming caller with the particular person, departmental function, or information that the incoming caller desires.
In this specification, these systems will often be referred to as AA/IVR systems, or generically often as remote auto attendant telephony systems, and the incoming caller will occasionally be referred to in the alternative as the caller or the user. The person or information that the incoming caller is trying to reach will often be referred to as the receiver or the callee.
Some of the AA/IVR systems in use today include systems that operate using voice communication over traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), as well as systems that operate over packet networks using voice-over-IP technologies. Many commercial owners or users of AA/IVR systems also operate websites which can provide additional information, and indeed often in this case, the organization's AA/IVR voice prompt will encourage incoming users to stop using the telephone connection, and instead switch to using web browser to access the organization's website for further information.
There are various ways in which an incoming caller can call and interact with an individual or organization that operates an AA/IVR system and/or an additional website. These include voice only connections, data only connections, and simultaneous but separate voice and data connections.
In a voice only connection, typically the incoming caller will talk to the callee or receiver using either a conventional voice connection or Voice over IP connection. In both cases, usually a telephone number is used to identify the callee, and the identity of the caller can also often be ascertained by using the caller's telephone number. This mode of communication will frequently be referred to as voice channel communications. The telephone number used to contact the AA/IVR system will often be referred to generically as directory information.
In a data only connection, the caller (or user) will typically not use the AA/IVR system at all, but rather will interact with the callee (or organization) through a separate web browser web-site network connection. Here the identity of the callee and the caller are established through their respective IP address. This mode of communication is one example of data channel communications, but other data channel communications that do not rely on web server web browser technology are of course also common. Some of these data channel based informational sites allow initiating voice communication by clicking on an icon or web link. However, this voice communication is then carried out as an independent communication.
In a simultaneous but separate voice and data connection, the caller and callee may interact using both a voice connection for interacting with the AA/IVR system (and through the AA/IVR system to the callee or the callee's automated messaging system agent), and also using a data channel for a web-browser, web-site network connection. In this case, however, both connections will be separate. This experience is probably familiar with any individual who has attempted to place a call to an organization while simultaneously browsing the organization's website. Here a phone number is used to access the AA/IVR system, while an IP address is used to access the website. This mode of communication is one example of simultaneous voice and data channel communications. In this case, the voice and data channels are driven by separate user inputs.
There are also newer integrated computerized AA/IVR systems that integrate both a voice and a data channel to create an integrated voice and data system, where the caller can provide inputs that only drive voice, or the caller can provide a combination of inputs for a voice and data channel. These newer integrated and computerized AA/IVR systems are referred to as visual IVR systems or visual auto attendant voice response systems. Currently visual IVR systems have had limited success because their deployment is both expensive and logistically demanding. These systems require the installation of a completely new visual IVR or visual auto attendant voice response system on the callee side, as well as visual IVR capable client software on the caller's smart phone. In these newer systems, the systems that handle and transmit visually accessible menu information are logically connected (i.e. often are controlled by the same computer processor(s) and execute at least some software code in common) with the systems that handle the remainder of the AA/IVR system.